On the road to recovery
by Carlyb96
Summary: Private Perceus Jackson is injured on duty in Afghanistan. He's sent home to recover. Can his loving girlfriend Annabeth Chase help him find himself again?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer- Unless Rick Riordan is a 16 year old girl, anything from the Percy Jackson series is not mine. Enjoy:D**

I've wanted to be a soldier since before I can remember. I was never happier than when I was marching around the living room, in dad's old uniform, pretending I was leading my men into battle.

Now here I am, Private Perseus Jackson, out on patrol, in the scorching heat of Afghanistan. It's a battle to stay focused with each extra metre; the heat and our heavy gear make it almost impossible to keep going. We reach the compound, it's eerily quiet. We're all on high alert, watching for any movement. The shout goes up! Movement to my left, I twist towards it. Next moment I'm on the floor screaming. A bullet has ripped through my chest.

I was supposed to be indestructible. But, as only a shell of my former self, I know that was just a lie. Scars litter my body, joined like a path leading to the mangled piece of skin where the bullet hit. It ripped through me, burning as it burrowed its way towards my heart. I'm lucky they said. Lucky that the little ball of fire missed my heart. Lucky that it only made a small hole in my lung. Lucky that I'm still alive. I don't feel lucky though. My one goal, making my dad proud, has been snatched away from me. I still have Annabeth, I think. Annabeth, with her stormy grey eyes and long blonde princess curls, praying for me to heal. I tell her over and over not to worry, that I'm her hero. She laughs every time. Glancing at the plain white clock in the corner of my hospital room, she stands , showing her tall, athletic build off, kisses my cheek and tell me for the hundredth time that I'll be home tomorrow, before being ushered out the room by the witch-like nurse.

I return home, knowing that I'll never go back to the army. I'm okay with that, I suppose. Disappointment lingers in my sea-green eyes though, she sees it. I flash my classic cheeky smile, making her go weak at the knees. I sweep her off her feet, like they do in fairy tales, and carry her to our room.

We lie there, me staring at the ceiling joining the dots, and her tracing her crimson nails over my scars. 'What happened?' she whispers, curiosity and concern lining her voice. I ignore her question, like I've done to everyone else who has asked. I won't tell them, I can't.

'Percy, please.'

'I can't Annabeth, you don't need to know', I reply mentally begging her to stop. I'll tell her one day, when the wounds are healed. Time, that's all I need, and a little bit of love.

'I'm here for you, when you want to talk,' she reassures me. I know she's there, she loves me, she has since that summer.

We were twelve; I had just started at Camp Half-Blood. We went everywhere together, day trips, meals, activities, we were best friends. Then in our last year, at 16, she kissed me. For that we got dumped in the lake. To everyone else it seemed inevitable that we'd be together forever. But I never thought we'd be together eleven years after that kiss.

I'll marry her; I've been planning to for ages. That thought kept me going in that dusty landscape. I have the ring already, with a gorgeous deep blue sapphire on it. I just need the right moment. Soon, I think, as I drift off into my dreams.

She's gone! I wake up to an empty bed. I launch myself out of bed and down the stairs, skipping the last two steps, thinking they'll make a difference. After practically running the length of the house, towards the kitchen, I stop. I see her, dancing around the kitchen to an unknown song, in one of my old, faded, orange camp tops. Leaning against the doorframe, I watch. I run my hand through my messy black hair, trying to make it go flat.

I notice a lot about her by just standing here. I notice the way she swings her hips as she sings along to the radio on the windowsill, the way her princess curls look almost gold in the morning sunlight and the way she lightly makes her way around the room on her tip-toes, almost like a ballerina.

I stop watching, take three large, steady paces and wrap my arms around her tiny waist, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around.

'Good morning Wise Girl' I whisper into her neck, once she's back on her feet.

'Morning Seaweed Brain', she twists in my arms and delicately places a kiss on my waiting lips. We spin towards the heavenly smell that appears to be pouring from the frying pan. Pancakes, delicious! Blue orbs completely coated in chocolate spread and whipped cream. Don't question the blue colouring; it's a thing between us.

I take her out to dinner that night at her favourite Greek restaurant. She wears her stunning short crimson dress, which matches her nails. Holding hands we stroll towards the restaurant, laughing about everything. We go in, sit down and order. The whole time, the little black box in my pocket feels like its burning. Starter and main course done. I prepare myself to ask Annabeth to marry me. I stand quickly and walk over to her seat.

'Annabeth Chase,' I drop down onto one knee, 'Will you marry me?' I ask, showing her the ring. Nodding, she leaps off her chair and into my arms. I look into her eyes, see them glistening, and kiss her as though my life depends upon it. We break apart to hear thundering applause from the surrounding customers. As we leave and wander through Central Park, I know that I'm on the way to finding Perseus Jackson again.

**Any Good? It's my first fanfic. Not sure if I should continue this or leave it. Any ideas? Review if you can please, it'll make me very happy. Thankyou:D**

**Love Carly3**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer- I don't nor have I ever owned anything that is part of Rick Riordan's world.**

**Here's the next chapter guys, I'm not sure if it's any good or whether to continue it. But hope you enjoy it anyways:D**

I didn't sleep that night. There were too many thoughts running through my head. When to get married. How do we tell her parents? How do I tell my mother? Where to get married. All I knew for certain was that I was going to marry the woman of my dreams. Lying in bed that night, it would have been easy to get caught up in my thoughts, if it weren't for Annabeth lying next to me, snoring softly. She looked so peaceful and calm curled up by my side. I must have been looking at her for hours, because before I knew it, there was light pouring through the window. I decide that I'll surprise my girl, with breakfast in bed. I get up, throwing on yesterday's boxers quietly, and make my way downstairs.

Even though I'd been away for months nothing had changed. The cupboards were still perfectly orderly, the flowery apron, given to Annabeth by my mother, Sally, as a Christmas present, was still hanging on the middle hook on our kitchen door and the windowsill, with our temperamental radio, still overlooked our beautifully manicured garden. The house was spotless as always. I found the ingredients for a lovely full-English breakfast in no time, thanks to Annabeth's eye for detail and order. I suppose that's what makes her such a brilliant architect.

After chopping and cutting and frying all the food, I carefully present it on a perfectly white plate. It looks pretty good, if I say so myself. Pleased with my effort, I effortlessly carry it up the stairs, towards our bedroom. With the exception of Anna's office, our room is the messiest place in the house, but it never stays that way for long. Not wanting breakfast to get cold, I wake my Wise Girl up with a kiss or two.

Blinking, she shakes her head and stretches. I perch on the edge of the bed carefully placing two boiling mugs of coffee on the bedside table. She reaches for me, so I lean towards her and place a soft kiss on her nose. She smiles, flashing her perfectly white teeth. I catch a muffled 'Morning Seaweed Brain' as she yawns.

'Sleep well?' I ask, already knowing the reply. I laugh when she confirms my thoughts.

'Like a baby' she says, as she sits up eyeing the tray balanced on my lap, 'You made breakfast'. I nod and laugh. She grabs a plate and I hand her a coffee. After a few short minutes both plates are empty and with full stomachs we head downstairs.

She washes up the mess I made as a thank you for the breakfast. When she finishes I wrap my arms around her waist and rest my head on her shoulder. 'What are we doing today then, Wise Girl?'

'Why don't we visit Sally and Paul? They've been worried about you since you came back, Sally called every day when you were in hospital' she answers.

Sally's my mother; she's had the worst luck. Her parents died when she was young, so she was raised by her uncle. Then she met my dad, who died in a car crash when I was seven. I don't remember much about him anymore; only that he had a bright, warm smile and was in the army. After that she married Gabe, a right jerk, he treated us both like crap, until my mum saw sense and chucked him out. Her lucks been better recently, she met Paul, an English teacher, on a writing course. He's a nice guy, wants to marry her soon. She always says the best thing that happened to her was having me, says I was a beam of light in the dark tunnel of life. I'm protective over her, I guess.

'Yeah, sure, I'll call her; check she's not busy today'. Annabeth smiles and heads back upstairs to get dressed. After a quick call to my mum, the plan's set, we're having dinner at hers at 6. I wander into the living room, grabbing the remote as I drop onto the sofa. Whilst I'm flicking through the channels, Annabeth walks in, dressed in dark blue skinny jeans and a simple white vest top. She settles on the sofa next to me and grabs the control out of my hand, claiming that 'we're not watching any sports today'. With the expertise of a couch potato she finds her desired program, Glee, and snuggles into my side, not realising I have to get dressed too. Chuckling, I move her slightly and head upstairs, glad that I'm not being forced to watch a bunch of high school kids sing about how bitterly unfair their lives have been.

I shower quickly, noticing my shower gel is in its usual spot, next to hers, on the edge of the tub. Drying myself off, I look through the wardrobe for some clothes. Finally, I settle on a plain, black fitted tee and jeans and get changed. I decide to waste as much time as possible, in order to miss the joys of Glee, and clean our room. Piling all our dirty clothes and folding and putting away all our clean ones takes me around five minutes. Thinking Annabeth will notice if I spend too long up here, I grab the dirty clothes and shuffle down the stairs, dumping the clothes in the washing machine on my way to the living room. She looks up as I enter the room and keeps her eyes trained on me until I sit drop next to her.

**Thanks for reading this guys. Please review it'll make me a very happy girl:D**

**Love Carly xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, sorry it's taken so long for the new chapter, but I've had some serious writers block. I'm not sure whether to continue this story now, as I don't know how many of you like it. If you can, could you send a review at the end of the chapter to tell me what you think. Sorry for the delay... For now, on with the story.**

**Disclaimer- As I have said in previous chapters, I do not own anything from the Percy Jackson series.**

Glancing over at the now black screen, I conclude that Glee must have finished. I look over at her and smile. She smiles back and we sit in silence for a while, just thinking. My mind wonders back to last night and the complete joy that washed over me when Annabeth said yes and the events that followed when we got home.

*Flashback*

We crashed through the door. I kicked it shut as I attacked my fiancée's neck with my lips. We whirled around and Annabeth's back hit the door, my hands moved to her tiny waist. I easily lifted Annabeth up as she wrapped her long, slim legs around my waist. She moaned as I pulled her body closer to mine. I moved my lips to hers and kissed her slowly.

*End Flashback*

I was snapped out of my little daydream when Annabeth began to tickle me. She ended up sitting on my stomach, while I giggled like a little girl. Embarrassing right? Anyway, eventually, she stopped tickling me and I pulled her down, so she was lying on top of me. We lie like that for ages, just talking about her days here, when I was gone.

It's 12 by the time we've stopped talking and I've realised how much of my Wise Girl's life. Four of our friends are now married and expecting children. She's been promoted at work and asked to design her mum's new house. She wants to show me the designs, even though I don't understand them. So we head up to her office, which, as always, is jumble of paper and pencils. After digging through a pile of designs and pushing rolls of paper aside, Annabeth rolls out a hug piece of paper. I peer over her shoulder as she starts rambling on about columns and atriums and other architectural things. From what I can work out the design is very complex and should look something like a Greek villa when finished.

Annabeth's mum's called Athena, like the Greek Goddess, and has the same grey, calculating eyes as Annabeth. She disapproves of me, says Annabeth's too young, but I know it's because of my dad, they never got along. I've learned to live with it now. Anyway, Athena has a very unique style, she likes the old Greek columns and the more modern, expensive houses with a pool. She can afford to mix those styles, she's an actress, and chooses, of course, to live with the rest of the big movie stars in LA.

Annabeth starts explaining how the interior will be modern whilst the exterior looks old. 'The perfect blend of old and new'. I know she loves this project, she, like her mum, loves old things. Anna finds little, old gems and restores them when she has the time. I stand and listen to her talk for another 30 minutes before I remind her that we have to leave at 4 to get to my mum's for 6. She reluctantly rolls up the design and leaves the room, shutting the door behind her.

We potter around the house until 2, when we both head upstairs to get ready. I let my girl have a shower first, knowing that she'll need longer to get ready. While Annabeth's in the shower I, for the second time today, look through our wardrobe for something to wear. I pick a pair of black jeans and a green t-shirt, and lay them on a chair next to the wardrobe. I fling myself back onto the bed and wait for Annabeth to finish in our bathroom. I end up waiting for about half an hour before Annabeth saunters out of the bathroom in a fluffy white towel. When she reaches the bed, I grab her wrist and pull her on top of me, give her a quick kiss and roll her to her side of the bed. My girl laughs and playfully slaps my arm. I shuffle towards the bathroom, as she goes to the wardrobe.

When I come back into the bedroom, it's almost 4 and I see Annabeth sitting in front of the mirror applying her make-up. I dry off and throw on my clothes. After running my hand through my hair, I declare myself ready to leave and walk over to Annabeth, who's now watching me from the chair. She stands and twirls around showing off her gorgeous outfit for tonight. A pale green summer dress with matching ballet pumps. I stop moving and stare, she looks beautiful. 'We...we should go' I stutter, when I'm able to speak again. She agrees and starts heading downstairs. I follow her still completely amazed at how beautiful she look. I open the door and make my way towards the car, while she grabs her bag and the keys. We get in the car once we've decided that she's driving and head to my mothers.

**So, What did you think? Is it worth me continuing this? Please let me know. **

**RIP Cory Monteith, all our thoughts go to your family and friends.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey Guys, finally got another chapter up. It's short and probably not that great but enjoy.**

The traffic was horrendous which cause Annabeth to get a deadly case of road rage. I've never seen her like that before; a mad Annabeth is a scary Annabeth. When we eventually reached my mum's, a little over half an hour after we were supposed to be there, she had thankfully calmed down. We did have to explain, in great detail, why we were late though, and with my amazing imagination, I made our ordeal a little more creative.

It went something like this… We left our house with plenty of time to get here and as soon as we left the safety of our road, we had entered a warzone. There were Furies and Minotaurs everywhere, flipping cars and buses over. We made a dash, in the car, to the main road, where there was more chaos. All manner of monsters were tearing up the road and houses that ran alongside. As we continued our race to the safety of mum's, I saw a tiny boy about to be made into a puddle of goo by a giant bug, being the hero that I am (this little comment earned a giggle from my mum and Annabeth), I dove out of the car and beat the giant ugly-a-saurus with a brick. After beating the bug, I scooped up the kid and returned him to the arms of his screaming mother, who was nearby. When I returned to the car, exhausted by my heroic efforts, we were already late, so I told Annabeth to step on it and 15 dead monsters, 5 saved kids and 1 punctured tyre later, we arrived.

So, after our story had been explained, we, Paul, Annabeth, my mum and I, sat down to catch up. We spoke about how we'd been getting on at home and then, with a quick look at each other, announced that we were due to be married. This news shocked my mother, but after a minute or two she was squealing and dragging Annabeth into the kitchen to talk weddings. Paul and I shared a laugh as we watched Annabeth disappear into the kitchen.

'Let me give you some important advice Perce... No matter what, she's always going to be right, no matter what.'

'Don't worry about that Paul, I learnt that a long time ago, trust me,' I reassured him.

'Yeah, I suppose you did.' He stopped for a minute, thinking, before asking if I'd heard the latest game scores. We spoke for a while about sports, before my mum and Annabeth called us into the kitchen for dinner.

We sat and talked over dinner. It felt so good to be back at home, with my family again. The tiny flat I grew up in will always be a place I remember and hopefully it'll always be a place I can come back to. I looked around the kitchen, seeing drawings my 3 year old self did still hanging on the fridge, as I swallowed some of my dinner. My mum caught my eye and smiled, it was a sad sort of smile. Her little boy was growing up, probably too fast in her opinion, but she was happy for me. I loved her and she loved me, we were an unbeatable team still, we just had other people to look after too.

After dinner, we had a quick desert, and I helped my mum clean the plates, before Annabeth and I left for home. My mum made us promise to visit again soon, so that she and Annabeth could brainstorm wedding ideas and Paul reminded me that if I ever needed some guy time he was only a phone call away.

The ride home was okay, we were both so quite that you could hear our brains ticking... Well, Annabeth's more than mine really. We got home and dragged ourselves upstairs before falling asleep the second our heads hit the pillows.

We woke up hours later to sunlight pouring in through the open curtains. We were both still dressed in the clothes from last night's dinner, though they were now crinkled and dirty.

**Hope you enjoyed this update. Not sure when the next update will be as I'm also working on another Percy Jackson story. Thanks for staying with me. **

**Carly xx**


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